But Dr Ronald McCoy from the Royal Australian College of General
Practitioners said that while these symptoms could make a patient
feel very unwell for a few days, flu had the potential to "knock
you out" for up to six weeks.

"Influenza comes on very suddenly and hits you like a truck with
fever, dry cough, muscle and joint pain and extreme fatigue," Dr
McCoy said.

NSW Health figures show influenza-like illness remains at a
moderate level, with numbers presenting at hospital emergency
departments down from three per 1000 last year to two per 1000 at
the corresponding time this year.

Dr Jeremy McAnulty, director of communicable diseases for NSW
Health, said the flu season peaked any time between July and
September, so the worst could be yet to come. Immunisation expert
Robert Booy said there had yet to be an outbreak of flu in any of
the nursing homes being monitored by the National Centre for
Immunisation Research and Surveillance at the Children's Hospital
at Westmead.

Nationally, children up to the age of four had the highest
levels of influenza this year (10.1 per 100,000), followed by the
elderly, who are most at risk of dying from complications of the
flu.

Professor Booy said children were the major transmitters of the
virus because of their less-developed immune system and poor
hygiene practices.

"Children are mini bio-terrorists," he said.

Emmylou Brasser, 7, from Queenscliff was one of many
Sydneysiders suffering from a respiratory virus last week.

Mum Veronique said her daughter had woken one night with a high
fever and cough and was too lethargic to attend school for a couple
of days.

The Federal Government provides free vaccinations to those who
are considered at high risk from influenza infection.